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A. A. MERRIFIELD.

INDICATOR.`

No. 816,288. Patented Apr. 21, 1885.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALBERT A. MERRIFIELD, OF ST. ALBANS, VERMONT.

INDICATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 316,288, dated April21, 1885.

Application filed May 21, i884.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that 1, ALBERT A. MERRI- EIELD, a citizen of the UnitedSta-tes, residing at St. Albans, in the county of Franklin and State ofVermont, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inIndicators, of which the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and efficienttabular device having' movable parts and certain signals, symbols, orsigns for indicating at a glance a fact or series of facts existing in agiven place or building.

In illustration of one form of my invention, I have herein embodied itin a register or indicator for hotels, whereby the clerk or proprietormay see at a glance what rooms are occupied or not, and any such factsas the name, date of arrival, and accommodations required, of theguests.

rIhe invention consists in the details of construction hereinafterparticularly set forth and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1` is aplan view of a hotel-register in use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectionin the plane of line a: x, Fig. l; and Fig. 3 is a transverse section inthe plane of line y y, Fig. 1.

In practicing my invention, I take a foundation, a-such as a board-ofsuitable width and thickness and provide it with a number of transversechambers or compartments, b, one end of which slopes upward on abevel orcurve to form an entrance, c, to each. These compartments are separatedby partitions d, in which are made grooves or ways e, substantially asshown in Fig. 2; and these grooves receive slides f, shapedsubstantially as shown in Fig. 3, and adapted to be moved back and forthwithin said chambers by means of buttons g, secured thereto. The forwardend, h, of the slides is beveled. The rear end of each compartment isprovided with a block, i, adapted to be covered and uncovered by theslide f. A space is left beneath the slide of each compartmentsufficient to receive a card, j.

A board or table may be made up of one or more rows of compartments,according to the number of accounts to be kept regarding certain rooms,persons, or the like.

The beveling or the curving of the entrance (No model.)

ends ofthe chambers and the slides facilitates the insertion and removalof the cards.

In a hotel-register'of this construction, the blocks t' will receivenumerals corresponding to the number of apartments in the house,

and it is designed that when a room is enas may be required for theinformation of the clerk or proprietor. Now, should anew guest call foraccommodations, instead of having to look through his books, the clerkneed only look at the indicator to find at a simple glance what rooms hehas vacant, and the assignment of the guest may therefore be made withthe least possible delay. Y

When a guest leaves, the card used may be filed in any suitable mannerfor future reference.

It is obvious that a register or indicator of this description may beconveniently used in keeping the time or attendance of employs infactories or other establishments, and for either purpose it will provea saver of time and book-keeping. As a time-indicator for factories andthe like the blocks i may receive the employs names, designations, ornumbers. and the cards receive the other items.y

W'hat I claim is- The foundation a, having the series of compartments b,the beveled or curved entrance c to said compartments, the partitions d,pro vided with guides or ways e, the slides f, arranged in said guidesor ways to move back and forth within said compartments, and the blocksi, provided with fixed signals, symbols, or signs, or the like, combinedand arranged vsubstantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 12th day of May,A. D. 1884.

ALBERT A. MERRIFIELD.

Witnesses:

GEEENLEAE W. BATOHELDER, L. S. WHITE.

